Gemma Peers is the founder of Paper Town, the children's craft company that make craft kits and holds workshops and events to get kids making. Here she talks about how crafting is so much more than paint and glue.
It's official, pebble monsters are feminists. Not just that, they are outdoor adventurers, lovers of mud, mathematicians, artists and excellent sharers. And they go to show that crafting is not just about making. These cute little guys have given my preschooler and I a whole day of fun, and lots of lessons along the way.
My son Josh is three (and 3/4, very important). We have spent today making pebble monsters. Josh loves nothing more than a good rock and wanted to go hunting for one to give to his Dad when he got home from work. A plan started to hatch and soon we had the idea to make pebble monsters.
Our crafting started with a walk in the woods to find stones. Crafts often get associated with indoor activities to pass the time on a rainy day, but this one got us out of the house and exploring. Josh isn't the biggest fan of getting mucky but his quest for the perfect stone made sure he forgot about that. He was squelching through mud and dipping his hands in puddles to wash the best stones. As we collected the stones we had to keep count and work out how many more we needed so it was a great way to practice our adding and subtracting too.
While we walked and searched for stones we also chatted and generally put the world to rights. Josh's friend Sarah joined us for the painting part of the craft, but was at ballet in the morning. Cue a long discussion about why boys can't do ballet because it is for girls and you have to wear a dress. We stopped our stone search to watch some YouTube clips of male ballet dancers and Josh was satisfied that boys could do ballet. "They are very strong and can jump really high. Superman could be a ballet dancer but he decided to be a superhero instead." By the end of our chat we were in agreement that boys and girls can do the same things. Josh is keen to clarify that is everything apart from weeing standing up, and I can't argue with that.
Back at home, we washed the stones and, with the arrival of Sarah, set to painting the stones. First, we had to share out the stones, making sure the biggest and sparkliest ones were dished out fairly. Then we started painting - Josh started with the dark blue paint, of course. While the paint dried we treated ourselves to a snack and a drink before decorating them with goggly eyes to bring them to life and make them all unique.
A really simple craft and a great day had by all. Thanks little pebble guys.
Explore Paper Town Crafts via the website www.papertowncrafts.co.uk or on Facebook or Instagram.